Concordia Commentary: Isaiah 56–66

Overview

Isaiah 56–66 is the culmination of the prophet’s message condemning humanity’s sin and promising the Suffering Servant—who atones for that sin, rises in majesty, and prepares an eternal city for all the redeemed. Among its well-known oracles are “arise, shine, because your light is coming” (60:1); “the Spirit of the Lord Yahweh is upon me” (61:1); and “behold, I am about to create new heavens and a new earth” (65:17). These chapters answer questions about grace and faith, the “true Israel,” the fate of the church.

The Concordia Commentary Series: A Theological Exposition of Sacred enables pastors and teachers of the Word to proclaim the gospel with greater insight, clarity, and faithfulness to the divine intent of the biblical text. This landmark work covers all the canonical books of the Old and New Testaments, interpreting Scripture as a harmonious unity centered in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Every passage bears witness to the good news that God has reconciled the world to Himself through our Lord’s life, death, and resurrection.

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Key Features

Affirms the divine inspiration, inerrancy, and authority of Scripture Text

Engages contemporary life and culture

Contents

Isaianic Scholarship on Chapters 56–66

The Relationship between Isaiah 40–55 and Isaiah 56–66

The Historical Background of Isaiah 56–66

The Two Groups in Isaiah 56–66

The Outline of Isaiah 56–66

Poetry in Isaiah 56–66

Commentary on 56:1–59:21—Yahweh Intervenes for His Faithful Remnant

Commentary on 60:1–62:12—Zion’s Light Shines for All to See

Commentary on 63:1–66:24—Yahweh Creates New Heavens and a New Earth

Indexes

Praise for the Print Edition

As with his earlier work on Isaiah 40–55, Professor Lessing has given us a highly useful commentary on chapters 56–66. More than many others, it nicely balances linguistic and grammatical precision, exegetical acumen, and profound theological insights. Without forcing the text to say what it does not, Lessing is able to give an unashamedly Christian interpretation which will be very helpful to Christian pastors and teachers. This is a welcome addition to the list of Isaiah commentaries and is much to be preferred over many of them.

Reed Lessing offers a fresh theological interpretation of Isaiah 56–66, the often-neglected concluding chapters of the book. With rich exegetical detail, he demonstrates the continuity from Isaiah 1–55 to these chapters, showing how the latter bring the ‘righteousness’ and ‘servant’ themes to culmination and highlight the growing ‘communal rupture’ which will lead ultimately to the split between Judaism and Christianity and the inclusion of Gentiles within the people of God. . . . No other recent commentary so deftly integrates a consideration of the canonical context of Isaiah 56–66, their New Testament appropriation, and the fulfillment of the prophet’s eschatological vision in the first and second advents of Jesus Christ and the birth of the church.

Dr. Lessing’s philological and literary exegesis of the Masoretic text gives evidence of an extensive learning and familiarity with the multiple subdisciplines in contemporary research of ancient texts. Moreover, the commentary pays full attention to multi-layered connections of chapters 56–66 to chapters 40–55 (expounded in Dr. Lessing’s previous volume [CPH, 2011]). The immense field of earlier and recent secondary literature is taken into account and discussed in a summarizing, remunerative way. The author acknowledges the hermeneutical principle of ‘Scripture interprets’ which has guided interpreters through the ages. Since he applies this principle both as an article of faith and as a practical mode of literary analysis, the book is entitled to a place among excellent reference works.

About R. Reed Lessing

R. Reed Lessing is senior pastor at St. Michael Lutheran Church in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He earned his MDiv, STM, and PhD degrees from Concordia Seminary, in St. Louis, Missouri. He was ordained into the office of the holy ministry in 1986, and from 1986 to 1999, he served pastorates in West Monroe, Louisiana, and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. Lessing was also a professor of exegetical theology at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, from 1999 to 2013. Lessing has written Interpreting Discontinuity: Isaiah’s Tyre Oracle, and along with Andrew Steinmann, he coauthored an introduction to the Old Testament, Prepare the Way of the Lord. Lessing is also the author of the volumes on Jonah, Amos, and Isaiah 40–55, as well as the forthcoming volume on Zechariah, in the Concordia Commentary series.